Lady in Training
by Rider-of-the-Rohirrim
Summary: Previously titled "A Familiar Story", but changed dramatically -- a completely different storyline to what I had originally. R&R!
1. One

A small bird twittered from its nest in the twilight. Finished its work for the day, it had settled into its warm nest, high in the tops of the trees to rest until the warm rays of sunlight reached it the next morning. Content, it closed its eyes and ruffled its feathers. It was good to live a simple life.

As other animals made ready to wait out the cold hours of the night, the tranquillity of the forest was disturbed only by a single figure, sprinting lightly through the trees. Stopping and bending to the ground, she pulled a note out of a pouch concealed within her tunic. Panting, she rested for a moment, before wincing slightly and massaging her temples. Determinedly, she flew up from the ground, labouring to run as fast as her legs would carry her, paper still in hand. This was the ninth night that she had travelled in this fashion, running all hours of the day without proper rest to reach her destination before time ran out.

Abruptly, she cried out as fell forwards onto the hard ground, and lay still.

\\//\\//\\//\\//

I could feel the thick, dark pressure surrounding me, causing me to remain unconscious and pushed at it, fighting it. At last, I was victorious and I pushed away the darkness. I lay on a bed, the white sheets carefully tucked in on either side of me. Light poured in from all sides, through archways without doors and the woven roof. I struggled to sit up against the backboard of the bed, rubbing my eyes weakly as a child does after a long night of sleep.

A woman walked around the corner and into my room, carrying a bowl of strange smelling paste. She set it down on the table next to me and started to move out of the room once more.

'Excuse me,' I called, and as she turned looking expectantly at me, waiting for me to continue, I noticed her ears. She was an elf.

'I uh…' I looked around me, confused. 'Where am I?' She smiled.

'I was commanded to inform My Lord once you had awoken. He told me he would answer your questions.' She said in a voice of honey. I nodded and she left the room. Scarcely two minutes later, another elf, a male this time, entered the room, a small entourage of people following. The tall elf walked to the side of my bed and knelt, picking up the bowl of paste at the same time. He reached forward, and I flinched away from him. After showing me the paste on his fingers, he tried again, and I let him wave his hand under my nose, breathing in the scent and feeling my head clear. The three others with him had seated themselves around my bed, and he pulled up a chair.

'You must have questions,' he said, his voice filled with authority.

'Yes.' I agreed, trying to focus on one of the many thoughts blowing about in my head like leaves in a hurricane. The most obvious one came to mind first.

'Who am I?'

He merely smiled and handed me a piece of paper, no larger than a small book. I smoothed it out, stretching the wrinkled paper in front of me so I could read it.

_To Evaine, _

_For that is your name. If you are reading this, then you have no memory. Of yourself, of your past, of anything. Do not be afraid, for you are with friends, although they do not know you. You are no doubt confused, so I will tell you that you chose this for yourself, locking away your memory so that you may aid others in the troubles ahead. Lady Galadriel believes that over time, your memories may be restored. _

_This letter was written to you in the late hours of the night, when I left the woods of Lothlorien for Rivendell, where you are now. Lady Galadriel of the woods of Lorien, bade me to write these words to you. _

_You must attend a council in the House of Elrond, Lord of Rivendell, for that is why you were sent. There, many great things will be decided, my lady has forseen it, and it is vital that you understand. Afterwards, travel home to Lorien where my lady Galadriel will explain everything to you. _

_May it be that the light of the Morning Star guides you,_

_Evaine_

I read the note twice, and then looked up at the kind face of the elf at my bedside.

'Lord Elrond?' I asked, and he nodded, and I sighed. 'I don't understand.' He smiled.

'Neither do we child, but you are your kin, as is the Lady of Lorien, and for that alone, we welcome you to Rivendell, and invite you to the council that will take place tomorrow.'

I smiled. 'Then you read the note?' I asked, but another voice answered in a thoughtful tone.

'We all did.' I looked to the young man, sitting near the end of my bed, his calculating eyes fixed upon me. I felt them searching me, but unable to breach the barriers that existed between me and my past.

'Aragorn, son of Arathorn.' Elrond said, introducing the man.

'Gandalf the Grey' he said as he gestured towards the other man, old and wrinkled by time, but with a gleam in his eyes that suggested younger years.

'And Arwen Undomiel, my daughter, and the one who found you.' My gaze drifted to the last occupant of the room, an elf maiden with stunning beauty, and an air of royalty.

'Then I have you to thank for bringing me among friends.' I said and she smiled.

'You almost made it yourself.' she said, and I smiled back at her.

My stomach growled rather loudly, and I blushed. Lord Elrond gestured to a plate of food on the bedside table. 'We will not stay any longer, for you must be hungry, and then you must rest. Someone will fetch you in the morning for the council.' And with that, my visitors filed out of my room, leaving me slightly disorientated and ravenous. As soon as they had left, I dived at the platter of food, devouring the bread and fruit without a second thought.

I decided that I was going to trust these people. They had shown nothing but kindness, and that was exactly what I needed now. Curiously, I probed the barrier in my mind as I chewed on a brightly coloured fruit, but to no avail. Soon, my filled stomach and overwhelming experience took over me, and I lay down again to surrender to the light embrace of sleep.

\\//\\//\\//\\//

I awoke to the sound of a woman calling me.

'My lady.' A pause 'My lady.' I stirred and opened my eyes. The same elf maiden who had brought the salve the day before stood over me smiling.

'Lord Elrond summons you to the council chambers my lady.' I nodded and she helped me out of bed. My legs ached terribly and wobbled as I attempted to stand. A hand caught my arm and put it to rest on another arm. I looked up into the eyes of Gandalf the Grey.

'Do you need assistance?' he asked me. I smiled.

'Should I not ask the same of you?' I replied, and he returned my smile.

'A sense of humour is not wasted in these dark times.' He commented, leading me out of my room and down the complicated but elegant hallways. We walked on in silence. We rounded a corner, and suddenly, we were out in the open, on a balcony with chairs surrounding a stone table in the middle of the floor. All manner of people already sat in these chairs, different races tending to separate themselves from each other. I knew the names of these people. There were elves, dwarves, men, and halflings, folk from the Shire, a remote north-western part of Middle Earth. Like flashes of lightning in a thunderstorm, these names came to me, and I felt my heart beat faster as I waited for more memories to come.

As I sat down in my seat, next to Gandalf and an elf, Lord Elrond strode through the delicately carved archway at the entrance to the balcony and sat in a decorated chair. What talk that there had been between the people there died at once.

I quickly grew bored, and although I remembered a few more names as they were mentioned, the proceedings did not concern me. As Lord Elrond started to speak again however, I was immediately enraptured by his voice, drinking in each word as it was spoken. I could see that he commanded the utmost attention of the entire council.

'Now, we have debated many things in this council, more than is usual as a fact. But we now reach the point of this council that Gandalf,' at this, he gestured to the wizened old man sitting beside me, 'has been most anxious to discuss.'

It was then that they spoke of the ring. Lord Elrond spoke of the making of the Great Ring of Power, how it was forged in secret, to control all others. How it was used by the Dark Lord Sauron with a purpose of enslaving the entire world. He told of the resistance, armies of men and elves who had fought at the end of the second age of Middle Earth for their freedom. He told of Isildur, son of the king, who by mere chance, destroyed the enemy, and took the ring for himself. It was there that his story ended, for the records of the elves lost the ring at this stage in history, but Gandalf took up the tale.

He told us of Gollum, a creature twisted by the ring, and his slow decay through time as he treasured the very thing that was corrupting him. He told of a hobbit, Bilbo Baggins who found the ring and escaping Gollum, to go home and live in his house in the Shire once more. Of how it had come to this very council chamber.

I could see everyone's eyes travel to the Ringbearer, Frodo Baggins of the Shire, and he shifted nervously. Throughout the telling of the story of the ring, I had felt an increasing feeling of dread, reason for which I was unsure. Eventually, Lord Elrond stood.

'You have but one choice. The ring can no longer be cast away, or unmade by any craft we here possess.' He looked solemnly around the council chamber.

'The ring must be destroyed.' The council was silent as Lord Elrond remained standing. 'One of you must do this.'

Suddenly, a man stood. His voice was deep, deeper than I would have guessed.

'No!' he said. 'Can you not see? It is a gift from Mordor! Why can we not use this ring?' his voice strengthened in his resolve. 'Let us use His power against Him!'

He looked as though he would have gone on, but Aragorn spoke from his chair. 'You cannot wield it. None of us can.' He gestured around the audience. 'The One ring answers to Sauron alone.'

The standing man, with the deep voice retorted. 'And what, may I ask; does a mere ranger know of this matter?'

The hobbit sitting next to Frodo jumped up from his seat, standing only to my waist. His irritated expression was almost comical.

_All that is gold does not glitter,_

_Not all those who wander are lost;_

_The old that is strong does not wither,_

_Deep roots are not reached by the frost._

_From the ashes a fire shall be woken,_

_A light from the shadows shall spring;_

_Renewed shall be blade that was broken:_

_The crownless shall again be king._

He sat down abruptly and mumbled something to Frodo, and then gritted his small teeth, glaring at the man as he sat.

'You look upon the keir to the throne of Gondor,' the halfling said, a gleam in his eye as he crossed his arms over his tiny chest. The man's eyes widened, and then narrowed again.

'Gondor needs no king.' He looked around the circle, and his eyes caught mine. He frowned angrily at me and was about to speak again when Gandalf interrupted him.

'Come now, Boromir of Gondor. I am sure that I may be allowed to forgive you on behalf of Aragorn.' Aragorn nodded in consent and Lord Elrond spoke again.

'We are fortunate that the nine were washed away at The Ford, but they will arise again.' I felt a cold stab of fear at this sentence, passing over me almost like a shiver. Gandalf gave me a sidewards glance, and then it was gone.

'There shall be nine companions to the ringbearer. Nine to match the Ringwraiths.' The elven lord said. I looked around at the council. Frodo said nothing. Boromir stayed in his seat, and Aragorn looked thoughtfully at Lord Elrond.

'Well.' It was a confident but tired little voice that ventured out of Bilbo's chair. 'I guess that since I started this mess, I should also be the one unfortunate enough as to finish it! I don't suppose that I'll ever be able to finish my book now.' He huffed.

Boromir chuckled for a moment, and then realised that no one was sharing his mirth. The council looked on Bilbo with the utmost respect.

'No my dear friend.' Lord Elrond said. 'I do not think that you are chosen to finish this task.'

'Oh.' Bilbo said simply. 'Oh.'

Lord Elrond looked from the old hobbit to the younger, more concerned one sitting beside him. I saw something like sadness and regret in his eyes when he spoke next.

'Frodo?'

The little hobbit thought for a moment. 'I have given it much thought.' He admitted and hesitated before making his decision. 'I shall go.' He agreed gravely. 'Although… I do not know the way.'

Gandalf smiled at the halfling. 'Well Frodo, I can help you there my lad.' He stood up and placed a hand on the hobbit's shoulder. Aragorn stood.

'By my life or death, if I can protect you, I will.' He proclaimed, walking to Frodo and kneeling. 'You have my sword.' Then he rose and stood behind him.

'That is three, but what of the others I wonder?' Lord Elrond said. 'There should be representatives from all of the free peoples of Middle Earth.' He studied the members of the council before him.

'Legolas of Mirkwood.' Lord Elrond looked at an elf sitting far across the circle from him. 'Legolas shall go for the elves.' The elf inclined his head and strode to Frodo.

'You have my bow.' He too, stood and walked to stand with Gandalf the Grey.

'Gimli shall also go,' Lord Elrond gestured to a short and stubby dwarf who sat opposite me. 'For the dwarves.' I caught a look of distain on Legolas' face.

Gimli stood and shuffled over to Frodo, bowing deeply to him. 'And my axe.' He promised in a low, gravely voice.

'If this is indeed the will of the council,' Boromir said, standing, 'then Gondor will see it done.'

'Good.' Announced Lord Elrond. 'That is six. I could send for some of the elves of Lorien…' his gaze travelled to me.

'Oy!' said a voice from behind the pots at the entrance of the balcony. 'Mister Frodo ain't going anywhere without his faithful friends!' and at this, three more halflings ran up to the company standing behind Frodo.

'Anyway,' one of the hobbits continued, no doubt trying to justify his position. 'You need people of intelligence on this type of journey…. quest…. thing.'

'Well that rules you out Pip.' Said another, nudging his companion in the ribs. Frodo rolled his eyes. Lord Elrond smiled.

'I was going to send you as messengers to the Shire, but seeing as though you have heard the council anyway, I think that you can go, if only for company for Frodo.' I looked at the company as they stood majestically in front of the council, the hope of the world. Suddenly, I remembered my note.

'Lord Elrond.' I addressed him and he turned to me. 'I wish to accompany them, if only to Lothlorien.' Lord Elrond considered my request for a moment, and then nodded.

'Very well, nine companions to the Ringbearer. You shall be the fellowship of the Ring.'

The council bean to end at this point, and once the formalities were said, the people of the council began to head their separate ways. I remained seated, unsure of what to do, and Gandalf came up to me.

'Tonight there will be time for you to meet your companions my lady.' He said. 'But for now, I will show you to your quarters where you can wash and relax until that time.' I nodded in agreement and followed as he led me again through the maze of passageways. As we reached a more secluded part of Rivendell, we began to pass many doors, all of which looked the same, until Gandalf stopped at one of them. I didn't look forward to finding this door for myself. We walked inside the room, a soft cream colour, decorated with stirring landscape paintings. An archway led to a small balcony, and another door opened into a small but comfortable bathing room.

'I will leave you to yourself my lady. You have a couple of hours until a maid fetches you. You should find something to wear in the closet.' He gestured to the cupboard in the corner of the room. 'Until then my lady.' He moved towards the door.

'Gandalf,' I stopped him. 'If we are to be companions, you should address me by name.' I smiled and he returned it.

'Very well Evaine. I think you shall be good company.' And with that, he left me to my room. I stood for a moment, unsure of what to do, and then decided to explore the washroom.

The bath was already full of steaming hot, lightly scented water, and I chuckled to myself.

_Rivendell elves. _I laughed in my head. Only after I'd stopped laughing did I realise I didn't quite understand why I had. Shrugging, I slipped my clothes off and into the bath, sighing as my tired muscles relaxed in the water. I wondered at this. Why were my legs so sore?

As I pondered this, my eyes drifted around the room and fixed on a painting. It was similar to those in my main room, a landscape depicting a beach swathed in a soft, grey light. Seagulls had been captured mid flight, stretching their wings to ride the currents of the air. As I watched, the seagulls started to move, wheeling over the water, now rolling towards the shore. It took me a moment to realise that I was looking upon a memory.

_Smiling to myself, I licked the salt off my lips. Sitting on the sand was always a sure way to make me relax, and I desperately needed to relax at the moment. I lay back, the sand cushioning me as I breathed the salty air in._

'_Evaine!' a voice called, and I turned around and stood up, smiling and waving vigorously to greet the young man running over to me, dressed in a shirt and tan breeches. _

'_Good morning brother.' I said to him as he tried to tackle me to the sand. I side-stepped gracefully and he landed face-first in the sand. I flopped down next to him. _

'_Good morning sister.' He returned the greeting affectionately as he sat up and brushed the sand off of his shirt. We watched the waves roll lazily into shore. _

Then I was staring at the painting once more.

\\//\\//\\//\\//


	2. Two

I listened politely to the elven minstrels sing, a song in their lyrical tongue about an almost-forgotten elven maiden who has now sailed across the sea to the Undying Lands. As their song finished, the talking ceased for a moment as the music lingered in the air a moment before disappearing.

Presently, Aragorn approached me.

'Would you like to properly meet your companions my lady?' he asked. I nodded, allowing him to lead me over to the quiet corner where the fellowship bar Gandalf was gathered. I spotted him talking in earnest with Lord Elrond in a different corner. He re-introduced me to the group, Gimli of the Lonely Mountain, Legolas of Mirkwood, and Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin (the latter three hastily asked that I use their nicknames). When Aragorn brought me before Boromir of Gondor, I almost blanched in shock at the hateful glare he gave me.

'What are you doing here?' he asked menacingly. I backed away a step towards Aragorn, while the rest of the fellowship shuffled awkwardly in their seats.

'I-' I said, 'I'm sorry? I don't understand.'

Before Aragorn could intervene, boromir laughed in contempt. 'I knew you would come.' He said. 'After all you have done, you _dare_ to show yourself to me again!' his voice began to rise in volume and others in the hall looked towards us.

'What do you hope to gain by following me?' he asked, standing and approaching me menacingly. I looked pleadingly to Aragorn for help. 'Why has that _witch_ sent you here?!' he demanded, and Aragorn stepped in between us, only slightly shorter than the stocky man of Gondor. Boromir glared at him.

'She is-' he started, but Aragorn held up a hand to stop him.

'She is not to be shouted at.' Aragorn answered calmly. Boromir glowered at me around his shoulder and stormed out of the room. I stood, stunned by what had just occurred.

_Apparently, _I thought to myself, _I know Boromir. _

'Well then lass,' gimli said, 'it seems you know more of us than we of you. What's your name? Where are you from?' I felt eyes upon me as I hesitated. Aragorn answered for me.

'She is Evaine. We can guess that she comes from Lorien.'

'Guess?' Merry asked.

'I have no memory.' I answered, to a collective gasp of surprise and a pause before anyone spoke. Pippin turned to Merry.

'That's why she didn't know what Boromir-' he was cut off when elbowed in the ribs. I smiled at the cover-up, moving across the circle to sit in the seat that Boromir had vacated between Pippin and Legolas.

As talk began to return to the hall, legolas turned to me in his seat.

'It is interesting that you have no memory at all, and yet you know your name.' he commented, and I told him about the note that Elrond had given me when I had awoken.

'That makes sense,' He nodded in agreement. 'I would have done the same.' We lapsed into silence for a while, until he spoke again suddenly.

'Aragorn and I have determined to train tomorrow before the morning meal. We would see your skill if you would join us.' I accepted his offer, not exactly sure what I was agreeing to, but decided that I would find out in the morning.

I wandered around the circle, talking to the fellowship, fascinated by their stories, as I had none to tell myself. It was very late when I finally left Bilbo's side to find a servant to take me to my room.

\\//\\//\\//\\//

It was an hour before dawn when legolas came to collect me. After some deliberation, I had chosen a shirt and breeches from my closet, soon discovering that I felt as though I had never worn anything else. It took us a full five minutes to walk to the other side of Rivendell to the training grounds, and although it was very early, servants swarmed the corridors, making ready for the coming day.

We sighted Aragorn warming up in the corner of the field, and he waved us over. I stared at the ground next to him where a range of equipment lay in waiting to be used. Seeing my dumfounded expression, he laughed softly.

'What is troubling you my lady?' he asked.

'I don't know what they are.' I admitted. Legolas raised an eyebrow towards Aragorn, who shrugged back.

'Let's start with these.' Aragorn said, picking up two small blades, slightly curved, and matching those now carried by Legolas.

'Hold them like this.' Legolas said, indicating how he was holding them. I copied him, or at least, I tried to.

'Attack.' He said.

'What?'

'Attack.' He repeated.

'Take a swing at him,' Aragorn added helpfully. 'Lop his head off.'

Legolas spared him a sideways withering look before he had to bring his swords up in defence as I took a high swing at him.

'That was good,' Aragorn said, 'but you should-'

He stopped as I brought my other sword in a sweeping sideways cut that he only just avoided by jumping backwards. A series of unseen blows followed as my body moved mechanically, responding to drills that I didn't remember. We sprang apart and legolas lowered his blades. I did the same.

'You have some skill.' He remarked thoughtfully. I nodded breathlessly, amazed at what I had just done.

After that, Aragorn showed me a number of other weapons, most of which I showed a medium skill level. By the time legolas handed me a bow, it was far past the morning meal and approaching the midday. Instinctively, I knew what to do. Before he'd even finished pointing to the target fifty yards away, I took aim and let fly. It hit dead centre. Legolas' voice came from somewhere behind me.

'I think she knows what that one is.'

'What about this?' Aragorn asked, hit with sudden inspiration, picking up one of several long and straight pieces of metal with a grip and crossbar to hold. I studied it for a moment and then looked at the ones on the ground. It surprised him when I quickly found the best sword of the pile and picked it up, testing its weight in my hand.

Experimentally, he brought the sword down in front of him in a defensive position. I regarded him for a moment before attacking him with a flurry of blows that quickly had him giving ground. The sword moved in my hand without my brain functioning. High, low, low, side, thrust, parry. And then Aragorn was on the offensive and I was deflecting and parrying his blade without thought. He was fast. His blade sliced through the air without pause. I held him off for a few minutes before he circled his sword around mine in a move that I missed, and pushed it to the side, clearly besting me.

'Strange,' legolas commented, 'an elf with more skill with a longsword than elven twin blades.'

'Indeed, my friend.' Aragorn panted, stepping away from the tip of my sword. They both looked at me curiously.

'Don't ask me.' I shrugged, and Aragorn laughed, legolas smiled.

\\//\\//\\//\\//

The rest of my stay in Rivendell was enjoyable and mostly uneventful. The days passed much in the same way: training before the morning meal with legolas and Aragorn, walking around the elven home before lunch, listening to stories and music before dinner, and getting to know the fellowship members before bed, except boromir who made a point of leaving the room every time I entered it.

On one particular day, a servant found me wandering aimlessly in the gardens and informed me that I was to be taken to the Lord Elrond's study. Nervously, I followed the maid to yet another wing of the city where the Lord's family resided. I quietly let myself into the room that the servant indicated and closed the door behind me. I found myself in a room filled with books. On all sides, dusty volumes were packed tightly into shelves reaching all the way to the ceiling. In the middle of the room sat an intricately carved wooden desk. Lord Elrond was not at his desk however, but standing at the end of the room, looking out a large arched window into his private gardens.

'You asked to see me My Lord?' I asked, my voice sounding meek as it echoed through the room. Lord Elrond turned however, a smile upon his face as he gestured for me to approach. I stood by his side and looked out the window. I had been mistaken when I had assumed it looked over his gardens. The window cast a broad view of the entire valley, a breathtaking sight. I was contented to simply look out the window for a moment, lost in the immense beauty of the autumn colours of the trees and the reflected light from small waterfalls.

'There is more to you than meets the eye Evaine.' He said, and my attention was instantly drawn away from the scenery.

'You have a strong sense of power and doom about you.' I didn't know what to say, so I remained silent.

'I have not felt such force of will in anyone but the Lady of the Woods, and it worries me somewhat that I cannot foresee you.' He sighed, shaking his head. 'You are… hidden from me, like only the Lady of the Woods before you.'

'What does that mean?' I asked.

'I do not know.' He replied, turning towards his desk and sitting gracefully down upon the chair. 'But that is not why I summoned you.' He continued, and I walked around to the front of his desk again.

'Evaine,' he said. 'You are only half elf.' I stood still in revelation, although I was not altogether surprised at what he had said.

'When my daughter found you, you were in a deep state of unconsciousness, but once you had been healed of your wounds, you began to sleep.' He sighed. 'It is a more, peculiar habit that we half-elves can acquire.'

Before I could ask my question, he answered it.

'Yes. I am also half-elf, although not many know it.' I nodded thoughtfully. 'I am attempting to find a record of you in the annals.' He gestured to the many books surrounding him. 'Half-elves are not common, so it should be easy to find evidence of you somewhere…' he immersed himself in the book in front of him, studying its pages.

'Lord Elrond,' I started, and he looked up again. 'There's this painting in my bathroom of a beach.' The word came to me as I said it. 'When I looked at it, I saw… a memory, I think.'

'Interesting…' he said. 'Then your memory may indeed be returning.'

\\//\\//\\//\\//

As time went by, my weaponry skills increased, much to my own surprise, and time seemed to slip by without leaving any mark of passage. Just as I had settled into a comfortable routine in Rivendell, it was time for the fellowship to leave. An enormous feast was conducted on the eve of the journey, the fellowship seated next to Lord Elrond in a place of high honour. Boromir still refused to look at me, and I spent most of the night talking to Sam, who took great pains in explaining many aspects of the Shire. It seemed to please him that I was so interested in his home and his simple way of living.

As the meal was finished, Lord Elrond stood and the room fell silent.

'Dearest friends.' He began. 'Tomorrow, the fate of Middle Earth leaves Rivendell, to travel with these ten wanderers. They are blessed by all the free peoples of Middle Earth.' Gandalf inclined his head, accepting the elven lord's generous words.

\\//\\//\\//\\//

I groaned as I was hauled away from my peaceful, dreamless sleep by a rather loud knock on the door. I almost fell out of bed, and then managed to put a cloak over my brown night-gown. I looked out the window. It was still dark. I groaned again.

_No one interrupts my sleep._ I sulked.

Almost a minute later, I opened the door and the grinning faces of Aragorn and Legolas met my gaze. I closed my eyes and my head fell against the door in defeat as I sighed.

Aragorn looked around me into my room. 'You took a while to answer.' He commented. 'Anything wrong?'

I opened one eye.

"Until now? No." I sulked.

Legolas smirked. "We thought that you could get in some more practice before we leave."

"What!? It's still dark!" I moaned and tried to close the door, but a boot stopped my escape. Legolas re-opened the door and I sighed.

"Just… give me a minute." I mumbled as I rubbed my eyes. Legolas nodded and let the door go. As my friends turned away from the door and walked down the hall, a rather loud groan of frustration came from my room.

Legolas and Aragorn grinned.

\\//\\//\\//\\//

Ten minutes later, a fully-dressed, tired but awake Evaine was standing in front of Legolas, holding her swords up for the hundredth time as he attacked and she blocked, slowly so that Aragorn could observe. He was sitting on a nearby rock, smoking his pipe, and occasionally adding in a comment or suggestion.

Immediately, Legolas said, 'Angle the blade more towards me. That way, it will not jar your arm.' Frustrated, I corrected myself also for the hundredth time.

"Put your left foot forward a bit more." Aragorn commented. I glared at him, and corrected myself again. Legolas took his swords off mine, and I relaxed. I was happy to have stopped. I looked at Legolas and was just too slow to avoid a light tap on the head with the flat of his blade. He smiled.

'I killed you.'

'You can't be serious.' I exclaimed. I swung around to Aragorn. 'Does it really matter if my left foot is not quite far enough in front?'

Aragorn fought to keep a straight face as he answered.

'In a life and death situation-' he didn't get any further because I pushed him backwards off the rock.

\\//\\//\\//\\//

I would have been late for the departure had Pippin not burst into my room after knocking loudly for ten minutes. After practice that morning, I had gone back to my room, deciding against breakfast, and had unfortunately fallen asleep again. As I ran out the door, I grabbed the pack that I had been given and had filled with all of the supplies that I had been instructed to carry for the long journey to Lorien. I groaned as I slung the pack over my shoulder.

_Talk about light travelling._

Eventually, after getting lost in our excitement, Pip and I got to the courtyard entrance of Rivendell where the fellowship was milling around, waiting for Lord Elrond to arrive to bid us farewell. Pippin left me, running over to where his friends were standing with Bilbo, no doubt saying their last goodbyes.

Gimli sat near Bill the pony, purchased in Bree by the hobbits, and was looking very anxious to be away. Boromir seemed to share his emotions, shifting uneasily from foot to foot, re-adjusting his Gondorian scout shield every second. From their uneasiness, I guessed that neither had enjoyed their stay – elves clearly made them uncomfortable. Gandalf and Aragorn were conversing quietly in a corner. I looked around for legolas and found him standing behind me.

He presented me with a longsword, elegant but durable, a leather strap wrapped around the hilt for good grip. It came in a sheath decorated in much the same fashion. He also handed me a bow made of light wood, so as easy to carry and bend, not as tall as his Mirkwood bow, but could still shoot as far. It came with a matching leather quiver. I took them, admiring them, as they were true works of craftsmanship. When I looked up at legolas again, he grinned.

'We cannot have you running around with a blunt practice sword can we?' he asked. 'These are a gift from Lord Elrond, of the finest Imladris make.' He announced. I turned the blade over, studying it carefully, looking at the inscription. It was in elvish.

'Faith in the unknown.' I read.

'Fitting, is it not?' Lord Elrond said as he walked down the steps to the courtyard.

'Yes My Lord,' I answered. 'Thankyou.'

He nodded once and then addressed the fellowship. 'You are about to start on the quest that will determine the fate of this entire world. You will meet people that will both hinder and help you, so I suggest that you think carefully before trusting any whom you do not already know. You will meet many challenges, and face many enemies, but all of you have strong spirits, and it is you that must help the Ringbearer destroy the ring of power, and forever banish Sauron from these lands!'

After many farewells and words of encouragement, the fellowship was walking down the pathway out of Rivendell, towards the thickly-wooded area that covered the valley.

The last thing that I saw before the elven city disappeared from sight was Bilbo, a lean, old hobbit, waving enthusiastically at Frodo, calling out to him. 'Be sure to keep a diary Frodo. I want a full account of your journey when you get back!'

\\//\\//\\//\\//

We had been walking for eight and a half hours when I finally lost strength to keep walking. My legs, although fully recovered from whatever I had been doing the night I lost my memory, were not used to walking as far and fast as we were. It didn't help that the landscape was all the same. Bush, tree, another bush, another tree, a log… and my feet hurt.

I hadn't told Gandalf or Aragorn I was having trouble. What would they think if I complained? Aren't we supposed to be the ten walkers? I groaned at the prospect. At the moment, I longed for my soft bed in Rivendell, where all of my aches and pains could disappear and I would train in the morning with Aragorn and Legolas… just like normal…

I began to drift off to sleep.

Aragorn and Gandalf continued to talk at the front of the line, the hobbits led Bill over the dangerous ground. Gimli trudged forward, one step after the other, staring intently at the shadows of the mountains of Cahadras, looming ahead in a wide band on the horizon. Legolas was looking forwards, double checking that we were in no danger.

It was Boromir who stopped a moment for breath and turned to see me a couple of feet away, almost asleep. Sighing grumpily, he came over and shoved me roughly.

'Get up!' he ordered. My head lolled.

'Go away.' I answered grouchily. He dragged me to my feet by the front of my tunic and I was awake and alert in a second and fought him off. Dimly, I heard a warning shout from legolas, stopping the fellowship in its tracks.

Boromir and I stood, staring into the others eyes warily.

'Boromir!' Aragorn shouted. The man of the south didn't move.

'Boromir!' Aragorn called again, this time a little more forcefully.

He shoved me backwards and stepped back a pace, spitting at my feet and then walked away. I sat back down on my rock, rubbing my face with my hands. Gimli came to stand next to me.

'It seems this is a good place to rest for the night.' He said. 'You have an eye for camping spots my lady.' He winked and I smiled.

'Indeed.' Gandalf agreed and nodded to my companions to make camp. He gave me a mouthful of golden liquid, which made me feel a little less sick in the stomach, and filled me with a warm, glowing sensation.

As Gimli had remained seated next to me, I took the opportunity to ask him a question.

'Gimli?' I inquired.

'Yes lass.'

'Did I get a wrong impression, or do you not like elves?' I asked. He looked at me for a moment before answering.

'Am I that easy to read?'

I laughed. 'It was pretty obvious.' I admitted. 'But that wasn't my question. If you have such distaste for elves, why are you fine with me?' I asked.

'A good question lass.' He replied. 'I don't really know myself. You're different, aren't you?' he questioned and I nodded.

'I am only half elf.' He raised an eyebrow in surprise.

'Don't see those every day.' He commented. 'now I know why I only half don't like you.' He joked and I laughed.

\\//\\//\\//\\//

Later that night, we had finished setting up camp and were feeling the effects of a hard day of walking. The hobbits were already fast asleep, their light snores reverberating through the campsite and my nerves. Even as close as we were to Rivendell, we were too cautious to light a fire; for fear that unwelcome eyes might see us. We talked in whispers but didn't understand why.

To say the least, we were being absolutely paranoid.

Aragorn finished a heated conversation in whispers with Gandalf and then came over to sit next to me.

'How are your feet?' he asked.

'They're better.' I answered. 'Thanks for the salve.' He smiled.

'It is made from athelas.' The word stirred vaguely in the back of my mind.

'Can you wake me for my watch?' I asked and he frowned slightly.

'You… need waking?' he queried.

'Half-elf.' I replied, wondering if I should just announce it to the world to avoid further confusion.

'Alright.' He hesitated before speaking again. 'You realise that even half-elves need to eat.' I smiled at his light cover for his concern.

'I'm not hungry at the moment. I'll eat when I wake for my watch.'

Aragorn seemed to be happy with that, as he nodded his head in agreement. I relaxed into my pack turned pillow and Aragorn moved away to leave me in peace to sleep. Legolas approached him.

'She hasn't eaten.' He said. Aragorn shook his head.

'She says she isn't hungry. I made her promise to eat when she wakes for her watch.' Legolas nodded distractedly.

'What do you think of her?' he asked. Aragorn thought for a moment before answering.

'She is strange, but I could not imagine what it is like to have no memory.' He whispered and Legolas nodded in agreement.

'But if she is from Lorien, then Lady Galadriel should know her.' Aragorn continued in a whisper. Again, legolas nodded, turning to look at me. He noticed the small change in my face that indicated I was asleep and looked at Aragorn again.

'She lasted longer than I thought she would.'


	3. Chapter 3

On the third day after leaving Rivendell, my legs had settled back into the routine of walking for fourteen hours every day. Either that or they had become numb beyond recognition, I thought, sighing. Although I was still tired at night when we stopped for camp, I found that I needed less sleep to keep me sustained. The hours that I did not sleep at night were spent with Legolas, the only other member of the fellowship who didn't require sleep, going over the tiny details of my slowly returning memory.

As days went past, I noticed that it was getting colder. Slowly at first, and then more rapidly. Fortunately, Lord Elrond had realised that we would be in need of warm clothes. We had been supplied with heavy travelling cloaks that kept most of the cold out. As each day passed, we moved further west towards Lothlorien, through the bleak, hilly landscape at the foot of the Misty Mountains. I began to realise that what had looked like a small blotch on the maps in Rivendell were, in reality, a wilderness of rocks and deep valleys with icy, turbulent mountain streams. The paths on which Gandalf and Aragorn led us were narrow and winding, often going far out of the way to avoid a small obstacle. More than once, I almost slipped trying to negotiate a passage across an almost sheer face of rock. Only a lucky catch of the rocks above saved me from a drop into a deep abyss swirling with the strong currents of a river fed by the glaciers.

\\//\\//\\//\\//

Two weeks had passed since we had left Rivendell when the weather suddenly improved. The icy wind, which had been continually blowing strongly from the east, turned during the night, and in the morning, the sun was shining merrily at us through the tops of the trees. It was hidden partially behind the dark, angry clouds, but it was a sun nevertheless. At the completion of an endless night's march we reached a low ridge, where a group of ancient holly trees grew. They had massive grey-green trunks, which looked as if they had been carved from the rocks of the hills, not like wood at all. Their gleaming, dark green leaves and shining red berries cheered us up no end as they were the first patches of colour after two weeks of grey all around us, day and night. We were now very close to the mountains. Just to our left a high range of peaks rose as high as the sky. Legolas started speaking, and the fellowship listened in silence.

'This was elvish country, long ago. Men call it Hollin.' He said sombrely. 'But to the elves it was Eregion once. Long ago...' his voice faded away, and he looked sadly at the snow-capped peaks. His words stirred a whisper of a memory within me. I resolved to ask him about it later.

\\//\\//\\//\\//

Another week passed and the fellowship began to make better progress. When we stopped to rest at night, it was freezing. On one particular night, Gandalf reluctantly agreed to make a fire. We sat in a circle, attempting to maintain a conversation. I asked Gandalf about our route.

'We are heading for the Dimrill Dale, and then we will climb the pass called the Redhorn Gate, at the far side of the Caradhras. If manage that, we will come down the Dimrill Stair to the valley of the Dwarves. There lies the Mirrormere and the icy springs of the river Silverlode.'

Muttering under his breath, Gimli uttered a verse in dwarvish which I barely recognised. He then spoke to no-one in particular.

'Dark is the water of Kheled-zaram and cold are the springs of Kibil-nala...' he sighed. 'I can hardly believe that I shall see them soon.'

'And may you find immense joy in their sight master dwarf,' Gandalf replied thoughtfully. 'But, be that as it may,' the wizard continued, raising his voice so that the fellowship didn't have to strain to hear.

'We have to get moving, and we have to reach the secret woods and then the Great River, and then–' Gandalf's voice faded out of my mind as it wandered.

_The Secret Woods,_ I thought as I lost track of what Gandalf was saying. _What can Lothlorien tell me about myself? _

'And then?' Merry asked, his voice breaking through my thoughts. 'Where do we go from there?'

'To the end of our quest,' Gandalf sighed.

'But for now be glad that the first stage of our journey is over, and that we have safely returned to elvish country. Though it was long ago, the elvish blessing is not completely drained from this earth.' He looked at the holly-trees, but his eyes were full of shadows, which had nothing to do with the darkness of these days. Legolas had moved to touch the holly-trees. But he shook his head and instead placed his long fingers against a boulder. 'Elves dwelt here,' he agreed, in his light voice.

'But they are strange to me. They are not my kin.' He cocked his head as if listening. 'They are not Silvan elves, but of the race of Noldor. There is no memory of them left in the grass or the trees. But the stones still grieve for them.' He sighed.

'They are gone. They went to the Havens and were allowed to sail across the Sundering Seas long ago.' There was an unmistakable tinge of bitterness to his voice.

In the shelter of the holly-trees and the blessing of the long departed elves, we dared to set up camp and light a fire. Everyone but Aragorn relaxed. The ranger however walked restlessly in the shadows of the trees at the edges of the dell.

I walked over to him, attracting his attention. He shook his head and tried to explain what was on his mind.

'I have walked through the country of Hollin in many years and many seasons, and although there are no people living here anymore, there are many creatures at home in the wilderness, and especially many birds have always lived here.' He gestured around at the trees. 'Now the country is completely silent for miles around. Neither bird nor beast dares to move. There seems to be an echo to our voices. It is strange.' He paused.

'I don't understand it.' Aragorn glanced at the fellowship, and his eyes were suddenly dark and serious. 'Is it only the surprise at seeing four hobbits and the rest of our ragged company?' he shook his head again.

'Or is it something else?' he turned to me. 'Something darker? More sinister?"

\\//\\//\\//\\//

We walked all of the next day because Aragorn was anxious to reach a familiar camping place. We did manage to reach it camp spot, but for a price. The hobbits were completely exhausted. I sat with Legolas through the night. He had agreed to help me learn to disregard my need for sleep. Now I only needed four hours of sleep to be fully recovered for another day walking.

We set out when the thin light of the winter sun had faded to a red glow reflected by the glaciers of the Caradhras, and the first pinpricks of stars appeared in the swiftly darkening sky. Aragorn led us on a good path, which was broader and much better kept than the last trails we had walked on, and so the fellowship made good speed, aided by the light of the full moon.

When dawn was already close at hand, a shadow passed over us. I heard Legolas gasp and I exhaled sharply as I felt the shadow pass over me, sending a chill from my head to toe. Only Frodo had the courage to ask what it had been. Gandalf either did not know or did not want to say. I harboured my dread silently, a look at Legolas telling me he shared my feelings.

We walked on as soon as night fell, after another uncomfortable and cold meal. The next two nights came and went uneventfully, with us steadily climbing a winding path up into the mountains, me forcing my feet to move one in front of the other.

Aragorn and Gandalf had an argument about which way we should go. Aragorn did not want to go through Moria, Gandalf did. It gave me a very sick sense of dread that the leaders of the party were arguing. Boromir suggested that we go through the Gap of Rohan. His idea was discounted without thought. He had still taken it upon himself to ignore me, except when he spoke stiffly and out of necessity.

He redeemed himself slightly in my eyes, when he suggested that we carry some wood as well as our packs, to save us from freezing to death up on the snow-capped slopes of Cahadras. But in Boromir's eyes, there gleamed a strange, almost feverish gleam. I began to worry, despite his obvious loathing of me. Something was happening to him. Something that added to the constant dread that I was feeling.

\\//\\//\\//\\//

The going was rough. In many places the path had completely disappeared, at times it was blocked by fallen rocks and tumbled boulders. The wind had become harsh and cold again. Eventually, the we found that we were trapped on a narrow path between the sheer face of rock above us, and a deep gash in the rock in front of us.

When we finally reached the top of the slope, white, soft flakes of snow started falling.

_Great. _I thought. _Now what?_

I knew that this wasn't going to work. I looked over at the hobbits struggling to force a path through the snow. Why didn't we just turn around and go another way? I tried vainly to ignore the growing numbness in my extremities.

Finally, the storm was throwing too much snow against us for us to make any forward motion. Gandalf reluctantly allowed us to rest for a bit. As if out of spite, the snow immediately stopped. I sighed as I gazed over the thick drifts mounded around us. It took all my strength of will not to say something dripping with sarcasm. The mountain was going to force us back, whether we liked it or not. This path was closed to us. The wind was echoing in the clefts of the rocks above and below us. Legolas narrowed his eyes and stared into the oncoming wind.

'There are fell voices on the air,' he called. I saw Aragorn screw up his face in frustration.

'It may only be the wind,' he half-heartedly objected.

'Cahadras was always nicknamed "The Cruel",' Gimli commented while attempting to brush clumps of ice from his beard.

'Isn't there anything we can do?' pippin asked, his teeth chattering violently.

'We'll have to wait for a while.' Gandalf answered. 'The storms are unpredictable on this mountain. We'll have no shelter further down the path.'

'And it won't help us to turn back now either,' added Aragorn. 'There was no place behind us with more shelter than this cliff wall.'

'Shelter!' objected Sam. 'If this is a shelter, then I'll call a wall and no roof a house from now on.'

He was right. But there was nothing else that we could do, so we took Aragorn's advice and we huddled together in the growing mounds of snow blown up all around us.

'Aragorn,' I whispered. The ranger looked at me and Gandalf also turned to hear what I had to say. His lips were blue with cold, his beard caked with ice and snow.

'We have to turn back. The path is closed.'

* * *

"At least make a fire," Boromir pleaded. "We have to do something." We had waited for an hour, but the snowdrifts had gotten steadily higher around us and the wind had only increased in volume and speed.

Gandalf sighed and passed around a small bottle made of leather. "One swallow each," he cautioned. "It's _miruvor_, the cordial of Imladris, a most precious draught. It was Lord Elrond's parting present to me. Pass it around."

The elven word still tingling in my mind, it burned like fire down my throat, immediately chasing away the cold and the exhaustion. It heartened our sorry group, but the storm seemed to impossibly grow worse. The mountain was determined to get rid of us.

"Make a fire," Boromir begged Gandalf and Aragorn. "Please! Look at the little folk! They won't live to see the dawn, if you don't keep them warmer than they are now."

I didn't feel all that bad with the _Miruvor_ inside, but as I looked at the hobbits, I knew that Boromir was right. I looked down at my hands, and found that they had turned a lovely mix between blue and purple. I had never thought to ask about gloves in Rivendell.

It is bizarre how you think of the strangest things when you can't feel your toes, I mused.

\\//\\//\\//\\//

It was the seventh hour since I hadn't felt my toes. I sighed, and my breath seemed to freeze in the air. I raised my head and looked at Gandalf. The wizard looked tired. I tried to smile at him, but it hurt my dry, cracked lips, sore from breathing into my scarf.

"Let's make a fire," Gandalf said finally and reluctantly. We built a great heap from the wood we had been carrying, but the ground and the wood were too wet; it was obvious that neither man nor elf could get a fire started under these sorts of conditions. Gandalf stared at the wet wood for a long moment, and then he bent down and picked up a branch. In a voice more powerful than his appearance as an old man would allow normally, he called out in a strange language.

He thrust both his staff and the bit of wood into our pile of wood. Green and blue flames leapt up around the staff and the wood caught fire at once. When Gandalf removed the staff from the fire, it was unscathed. "If anyone has been watching us, I at least am revealed to them now," he muttered regretfully. "I have written _Gandalf is here _in signs that all can read from Rivendell to the mouths of Anduin."

But we were to tired and too frozen to care for the added threat of more possible watching eyes. We crowded around the fire eagerly, and within minutes the hobbits were groaning with the pain of life returning to almost frozen limbs. I winced as the hot, tingling sensation coursed through my extremities. Aragorn once again produced his yellow athelas salve, and we rubbed it into our feet and hands.

* * *

Half an hour later, the sky was bright with the coming dawn, and the snowfall had slowed down to leisurely drifting of single great flakes now and then.

"Dawn is not far now," Aragorn said to Gimli.

"If any dawn light can get through these angry clouds," commented Gimli.

Boromir stepped up to them. "I think the snow is growing less. And the wind has calmed down." He turned to Gandalf for instruction. The old wizard sat close to Frodo, who in turn was staring with big frightened eyes into the brightening sky. Gandalf sat hunched and tired, and in his hands he was turning and turning his unlit pipe.

As I looked up, I realized that dawn had finally come. The grey landscape of the day before had vanished. I was looking at a silent world of snow. Rocks and gnarled trees had turned into alien forms of white, strange figures and sculptures shaped by the snow. There was no noise at all, everything was muffled and quiet. There was no sun, and the clouds were low and heavy with the promise of even more snow.

Gimli had pulled himself to his feet from under all of the snow. The snow at the edge of our camp site reached easily up to his chest. "Caradhras has not forgiven us. Those clouds are full of snow and other nasty surprises, which he will throw at us, if we don't disappear in a hurry."

There was no other option. We had to turn back. But this was easier said than done. Only a few feet away from the ashes and the sludge of our camp site the snow had been blown into snow drifts almost as high as Aragorn.

"Perhaps you could melt the snow with the fire of your staff," Legolas suggested to Gandalf. The wizard snorted. "Perhaps you could fly over the mountain and catch a southern sun for us. I need something to work my magic on. I have no power over thin air."

Boromir had listened to the exchange with growing impatience. "If splendid minds are at a loss, bodily strength has to prevail! Look, you can still see the faint outlines of the path we came up on yesterday going around that rock down there. The strongest of us will have to shove the snow aside, and the little folk and the lady may follow."

"I'm not a lady," Gimli grumbled. But he winked at me, and I was relieved that he, at least, had no problem with my presence.

Without further comment, Boromir turned and started in on the snow. He was half a head shorter than Aragorn, but more powerfully built. Working together, the men were soon forcing a tunnel through the snowdrifts, although they sometimes seemed to be almost drowning in the masses of snow all around them.

Legolas watched them for a while, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Then he turned to me and grinned outright. "The strongest to seek the way? And little folk and ladies to follow? Is that what you say?" He called out after Boromir. "Well, I say: let a ploughman plough and a fish swim, but running lightly on sand or grass, or over snow: that's what we elves are for." He gave me a small bow, and then turned and leapt onto the top of the snowdrift. My attention was drawn to his light leather shoes standing easily on the snow as if it was stone. Although he was tall, he should have weighed more than a hobbit. But he left almost no imprint in the snow.

"I shall help." With that, he lifted Merry up, and carried him across the snow drift, leaving only the slightest imprint in the snow.

Then Legolas turned around and ran across the snowdrift, which Aragorn and Boromir were labouring to plough through. Legolas ran over to me, his steps as surefooted as if he was running on firm ground and not on the slippery surface of snowdrifts.

He held out his hand to me, and I took it, hesitating, stepping onto the snow. It didn't give. I raised my eyebrows in surprise and he grinned. He led me across the snow, showing me where to stand, while standing on the most unstable parts of the drift himself.

\\//\\//\\//\\//

Finally, after I had waited with the hobbits, a rather disgruntled pair of men walked up to our group, leading Gimli and Gandalf through the path that they had laboured on, because they had refused to be carried over the snow drift.

We walked, defeated, down to the bottom of the slopes of Cahadras, where we set up camp. We lit a fire with what wood we had left.

As we waited for night to fall, Boromir and Aragorn taught the hobbits to fight. It was funny to watch them jabbing air with their little knives. Sam was making something hot and food-like while Frodo watched. Gimli was in heated conversation with Gandalf. Legolas looked at the mountain we had just come down from.

"Look," he pointed about three-quarters of the way up the mountain. I squinted in the right direction. "If we had persisted, we would have been swept away by the wind."

He was right. A massive storm pelted the side of the Pass. No-one would be able to go through for weeks.

"Hide!" Aragorn shouted. We spun around, surprised and looking towards where Aragorn was looking. A smudge tainted the sky to the south-east. The others scattered around me as I gazed at it, trying to make out what it was.

_I ran. I was so tired… I_ _don't know for how long I'd been moving. Days, weeks…_

_Something was chasing me. I could feel its presence behind me as I whipped past trees and through the undergrowth. I turned my head, but I couldn't see anything in the shadows of the forest behind me. I could feel it looming… closer and closer. _

_I swore as I came to the end of the patch of trees. There was nowhere to hide from it now. I hesitated for half a second before plunging into the light of day, out of the shadows. I was only a quarter of the way across the open stretch of ground when I heard an ear-splitting screech. Abandoning the hope of getting across in time, I stopped and turned. _

_Ripping, tearing beaks attached to a starved-looking murder of crows sought after me. But these were no ordinary crows. There was a definite presence about them, one I recognised all too well. _

'_By the Lady whom I serve,' I shouted over the noise of their caws and madly flapping wings, 'I bid thee be gone! Trouble me no more!' _

_Slowly. Reluctantly. They stopped advancing as a group, and turned in the other direction. _

The rest of the fellowship had leapt into action, and within seconds, the camp was completely gone. I didn't move. I stared at the blotch in the sky, drawing steadily nearer.

"Evaine!" Legolas shouted, "You must hide!"

I didn't listen. I concentrated on the blotch in the sky. I recognised the same presence about them as I remembered. Without knowing what I was doing, I tried to reach out to them in the same way that I had seen.

Nothing happened.

Boromir, seeing that I wasn't moving, jumped out from his hiding place and grabbed me around the waist. He managed to hide us just in time before the birds flew overhead.

As soon as they were out of range of his voice, Boromir turned on me and shouted.

'What were you thinking?!' he yelled. 'Are you trying to get yourself killed?'

I stood up and brushed myself off, ignoring him.

'Just… do it in your own time.' He finished, trying to save his dignity.

Gandalf sighed heavily as the fellowship came out of hiding. 'There's nothing more we can do. We have to get away from this mountain.' He gazed up at the clouded heights. 'We will not last another night near Caradhras.'

We continued down on the narrow, winding path we had climbed with so much difficulty yesterday. A strong wind was blowing down from the white peak, which loomed menacingly above us. The wind sighed and sang across the rocks, as if the mountain was laughing, and it pushed at our backs incessantly, shoving us down the path, back into the valley.

\\//\\//\\//\\//

Hi again everyone. I have started this story up again after a long break, I hope that you like it :)


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